Paris Attack: Six Soldiers Injured After Being Struck by a Vehicle

Police is searching all over Paris for a BMW car whose driver rammed into a group of soldiers, seriously injuring six

The driver sped and went straight through a group of soldiers who were outside a barracks, in a suburb northwest of Paris.

The authorities are investigating the attack, which left six soldiers injured, while three other have been dangerously injured, according to Paris police. Fortunately, the soldiers’ injuries are not life threatening.

The attack took place at the Place de Verdun in Levallois-Perret, around 8:00 a.m. local time.

France’s Minister of the Interior said that the attack was a “deliberate act”.

“The car accelerated towards the soldiers for five meters in order to hit them,” he told reporters. “We do not believe this could be an accident.”

The Mayor of Levallois-Perret said that the car was “pre-positioned” in a small alley, waiting for troops to come out of the building.

The group of soldiers are a part of France’s Operation Sentinel, which was set up in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo terror attack that took place back in January 2015.

Levallois-Perret is a quiet, affluent neighborhood. Moreover, it is home to DCRI’s headquarters, France’s counter intelligence agency.

A witness who gave her name as Zakia, said that she was awoken by a strong “boom” before she ran to her balcony to see what was going on.

“I saw a soldier on the ground … then the fire service and paramedics arrived,” she said. “I saw the whole scene, and I’m shocked.”

Another woman who wanted to keep her anonymity said that she heard a “large boom, from, say, a crash, a car accident.”

“We heard all the ambulances arriving… We saw all the emergency services’ vehicles: firefighters, police, paramedics. We saw two men on the ground, being cared for by firefighters and doctors.”